Abstract: Plight and action have emerged as two significant elements of tragedy in the wake of ancient Greek tragedies. The Return of the Native and The Life and Death of the Mayor of Casterbridge are the outcomes of Thomas Hardy changes of style, and the latter is referred to as classic. In these two novels, the tragic image of Oedipus can be traced in the plight that the two main charactersClym and Henchard encountered and the actions they took, and Oedipus early experience in another characterFarfraes journey of success as well. Hardy, following the plot “plight to action”, with the help of the tragic image of Oedipus, which gradually emerges, fulfills the three main men characters and designs the related plots. In such a process, the transition from comedy to tragedy has also been achieved successfully.

Key words: plight, The Return of the Native, The Life and Death of the Mayor of Casterbridge, Oedipus

摘要： 自古希腊悲剧以降，无困境不悲剧，不行动非英雄。《还乡》与《卡斯特桥市长》是哈代小说创作的转折期作品，且后者堪称经典，这两部作品的主人公克林与亨察德所遭遇的困境及所采取的行动均呈现俄狄浦斯的痕迹；法夫瑞的上升之路又与俄狄浦斯的早期经历层层重合。哈代遵循“困境—行动”的脉络，借助俄狄浦斯这一经典悲剧人物，完成了对三位男性主人公的人物塑造和小说情节设计，实现了从喜剧到悲剧的成功转型。

关键词: 困境, 《还乡》, 《卡斯特桥市长》, 俄狄浦斯